Clarity
by MysticNightAngel
Summary: What had once blinded him now brought him clarity. Claire and Dimitri say goodbye. One-sided Claire/Dimitri. Takes place just before Claire says goodbye to the Professor. Spoilers for Unwound Future.


_"Dimitri…"_

_ She stood at the door, one hand clutching the frame. He could see her warped reflection in the bronze as he kneeled in front of his machine. _

_ She'd come to stop him again. She always did. _

_ "Dimitri, please," she begged, stepping away from the door. "You must end this madness." _

_ He sighed. How many times would they have this conversation? He couldn't stop, not now when he was so __**close**__..._

_ She laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to tense. He refused to meet her eyes. _

_ "Dimitri, please…for me." _

_ Suddenly angry, he swiped away her hand and stood. "Can't you understand that all of this madness __**is**__ for you?" He grabbed her shoulders, feeling a prickle of guilt when she flinched. "Claire," he continued more gently, "it is all for you. Please, don't ask me to give up when giving up means…" He swallowed, trembling slightly. "…when giving up means losing you again." _

_ She stared up at him with tears in her eyes. "Dimitri, I…"_

_ He shook his head. "Twice I've lost you in the past; once to Hershel and once to death. I will not let that happen again," he vowed, finally releasing her. She seemed to deflate at his words, clasping her hands together and hanging her head. She left the room without another word. He watched her go with a familiar ache in his heart. He hated arguing with her, but he couldn't do as she asked, either. _

_ He couldn't say goodbye. Not again. Once was hard, twice was cruel, but three times would be unbearable. He was willing to do anything if it meant not losing her again. His plan would succeed, it had to succeed, there was simply no other choice. _

And yet, now here he stood, surrounded by disoriented civilians, shouting police officers; his ten years of work obliterated, quite literally. The confusion and noise seemed muffled, however, and the world blurred with lights and people and darkness. There was only one thing he could see clearly now; the image of the woman he loved picking her way towards him through the crowd. She seemed to glow, an angel of clarity. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, until she finally stood before him with tears in her eyes and a brave smile on her lips.

"It's almost time," she murmured, calmly, as though commenting on the weather. He swallowed the lump in his throat. Up close, he could see that there really _was_ a faint glow surrounding her now as her very being began to fall apart, streaming back to where it belonged in time.

"Yes," he answered, the simple word leaden with emotion, with things unspoken. She gave him a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri," she said, looking up at him, "for causing you so much pain."

He choked, something between an incredulous snort and a bitter laugh. "No, Claire…I am sorry." He grasped her hand, the only contact he would allow himself to have with her. "I…I should have listened to you, then things may not have become so out of hand."

Gently, she enfolded his hand in both of hers, closing her eyes in a contented way. "I know why you did it, though." Quickly, she placed her hands on his shoulders and stood on her toes to reach his lips.

It was a quick, innocent kiss, one that could be shared between friends.

_And that's all we could ever be_, Dimitri realized, but instead of his usual heartache, the thought only brought peace. He had come to terms with it, and now he was content to hold her only as a dear, dear friend.

"Thank you," she whispered, "for loving me." She turned to walk away.

"Claire…!" he called, his voice shaking somewhat. She paused and turned back.

"…Goodbye," he murmured, ignoring the tears that threatened to fall. A half-smile fell from her lips.

"Goodbye, Dimitri. I hope you find…," she clasped her hands together, a solitary tear sliding down her cheek, "…happiness."

And then she was gone, picking her way through the crowds away from him. He watched her go. He assumed that she was going to find Hershel, but he found that that didn't bother him anymore.

As he turned away, he closed his eyes and, for once, didn't have her image burned into his mind.


End file.
